1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a pressing iron, more particularly to a power control device for a pressing iron.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to provide a pressing iron with a power control device that incorporates a position sensor to permit disabling of a heating device of the iron upon detecting that the iron has been left unattended for a first time period, such as 30 seconds, in an ironing position, i.e. with its soleplate substantially horizontal, or for a second time period, such as from 5 to 8 minutes, in a resting position, i.e. with the soleplate substantially vertical.
The position sensor of a conventional power control device for a pressing iron is usually mounted in the handle portion of a housing of the pressing iron, and is used to detect if the iron is in the ironing or resting position. The position sensor includes a rectangular casing, an inclined ramp mounted on a bottom wall of the casing and inclining upwardly from a front portion to a rear portion of the casing, an optical coupler including a photoemitter and a photoreceiver mounted on left and right sides of the ramp at the rear portion of the casing, and an opaque ball received in the casing and movable along the ramp between a non-shielding position, where the ball is in the front portion of the casing and does not interrupt light transmission between the photoemitter and the photoreceiver when the iron is in the ironing position, and a shielding position, where the ball drops into the rear portion of the casing by virtue of gravity and interrupts light transmission between the photoemitter and the photoreceiver when the iron is in the resting position.
While the aforementioned position sensor is capable of generating signals to enable the power control device to detect whether the iron is in the ironing or resting position, the position sensor is not satisfactory due to the following reasons:
1. There is a possibility that the ball will get stuck between the top wall of the casing and the ramp, thereby resulting in faulty operation of the position sensor.
2. The ball must have a size that is sufficient to effectively block the light transmission between the photoemitter and the photoreceiver when the iron is in the resting position, thereby resulting in a corresponding increase in the size of the casing and in the size of the handle portion of the housing of the iron.